The Path of Tribulation

The second course was the Asura Path.

Under a blood-red sky, countless beings swung weapons at one another without mercy.

The thick stench of blood lingered in the air, sharp enough to sting my nose.

Honestly.

…….

Even with the Cold Blood skill, I couldn't completely suppress the murderous intent.

This was a path of hardship deliberately created by the constellations' interference.

It was mild compared to true 'Hell,' but the difficulty was brutal.

How did I know that?

Because in my previous life, I'd walked through Hell itself.

Well, the sinners who fell into the original Asura Path were said to be those consumed by rage and violence, so neither version deserved any sympathy.

"Kuaaaaaah!!"

"Fresh meat!"

"You should die once too!"

The moment the sinners of the Asura Path noticed me, attacks flew in from every direction.

Clang!

A sharp metallic ring echoed.

Weapons shattered into pieces.

Swords, spears, axes—none were spared.

"What the hell?"

"Why did my weapon break?"

"What kind of sorcery is this?!"

I let out a short sigh.

Twisted strands of Polar Night pierced through the sinners' necks.

"Ghk, ugh…"

"Cough…"

The sinners collapsed without even managing a proper scream, their throats blocked.

They wore nothing but rags around their waists, their weapons were rusted and worn, and the demonic energy radiating from their bodies was faint.

But.

"It's him."

"Let's share our pain with him too."

"Kill the newcomer."

There were simply too many sinners dwelling in the Asura Path.

Enough to cover the entire plain.

The sinners nearby stopped swinging at each other and charged toward me instead.

I shaped the Polar Night into rotating saw blades and spun them.

Shwaaaaak!

The bodies of sinners caught in the black saw blades were sliced apart.

Most of them fell to the spinning blades, but some lucky ones slipped through the gaps.

Or rather…

I tore apart the sinner who had dug in with elongated claws.

A mountain of corpses piled up.

"Good. I'll step on these and push forward."

"Kikiki, even the dead have their uses!"

Really?

Do you think it'll go the way you want?

The sinners climbing the corpse pile tumbled to the ground.

The moment the spinning blades lost balance and sliced through a fallen sinner's body—

Shuk— red blood dyed the earth.

A one-sided massacre.

I swept my hair back.

I appreciated her concern, but I wasn't weak enough to be crushed by something of this weight.

In the age of destruction, I'd seen far worse scenes countless times.

The sight of the entire world being swallowed by the Tower of Babel had been dozens of times more horrifying.

Besides Ars Goetia, I now had another use for dark mana.

"Kikikiki!"

"Die!"

"Join us!"

The sinners charged with bloodshot eyes.

I didn't change my expression as I cut them down.

The power of Polar Night consumed almost no energy, so it recovered quickly.

Even those who slipped through the saw blades couldn't withstand a single strike.

Experience points rose without pause.

Stats increased through Devour.

Watching this desolate scene didn't bring me any joy.

But did that mean my heart would break…?

My soul had already been worn down to the point of abrasion. The tragedies unfolding in the Asura Path no longer shook me.

Nyx seemed about to say something, then closed her mouth.

What's wrong with this goddess?

The sinners of the Asura Path kept reviving and charging no matter how many times they died.

A hell of endless fighting, death, and rebirth.

This must have been the Heavenly Demon's doing.

What terrible taste.

I don't know how long I stood in place slaughtering the sinners of the Asura Path.

One by one, the murderous intent in their rage-twisted eyes began to fade.

"I was wrong."

"Why is a monster like him here?!"

"We can't beat that damn bastard."

The sinners of the Asura Path knelt before overwhelming violence.

Those who gave up the fight turned to ash and vanished from the path.

Only after every sinner who had died and revived countless times had disappeared did a small path appear across the desolate plain.

……I told you not to say it.

Damn it.

All that unnecessary fighting until now.

The calm I'd maintained while cutting down sinners wavered.

Shit.

My mind, which had remained steady despite the influence of the Asura Path, was finally shaken.

I swallowed a sigh and moved on to the next field.

* * *

After passing the Asura Path, a barren wasteland appeared.

Various elements designed to stimulate human desire.

Countless gold and treasures, along with mouthwatering food that stirred the emotion called 'greed,' lined both sides of the path.

And that wasn't all.

The long stretching road was no ordinary path.

It was covered in mud mixed with every kind of deadly poison.

I glanced at the mountain of treasures and walked forward without hesitation.

The blessing of greed covering the ground beneath my feet tried to invade with all sorts of toxins, but I endured it with Baal's power.

"If you pick up that treasure, it'll become yours even after the mission ends."

"There are things more valuable than clearing the mission."

"You're just going to give up and leave?"

Whispers tempting my greed.

They weren't lies.

In the 'Eastern Hell' created by Baal, there were even Legend-grade items placed here.

He'd gone to the trouble of preparing all this just to hook me.

Taking any of the treasures Baal prepared here would be a classic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠case of losing the greater prize for a small gain.

My obsession with the Tower's highest record wasn't just for the clear rewards—there was another reason.

For the sake of the future, I had to endure.

The fourth region was Tartarus.

This was where Olympus imprisoned those who opposed the gods or mortals who had committed terrible sins.

This section must have been influenced by Ares.

The most dangerous area in Tartarus was 'Nyx's' domain, covered in darkness without a single ray of light.

In other words, Ares's arrangement posed not even a single gram of threat to me.

I possessed Polar Night, the authority of Nyx, the master of this realm.

Compared to the previous sections, it felt so easy it was almost disappointing.

The final course completely blocked all physical senses.

After contracting with Nyx, it had been a long time since I felt truly alone.

Nothing but thought remained.

It was like floating alone in the middle of a vast, empty ocean—complete desolation.

Even so.

In a place where I could feel nothing, I raised my internal energy and mana.

The ferocious inner power of the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method circulated through my meridians.

Outside my body, mana from the Primordial Dragon Heart spread out like a net.

I used internal energy to perceive my own body.

The mana from my heart spread wide to read the surroundings.

It was slower than receiving information through eyes and ears.

But I could still clearly read the terrain.

I walked forward in silence.

Whether the constellations had some conscience after all, the path where all five senses were paralyzed was ordinary except for its slope.

Actually, if my senses were completely gone, I wouldn't have noticed the uphill and would have fallen.

If I hadn't been a player who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could freely manipulate mana and internal energy like this, I would have been crawling on the floor in panic.

Along with the mission clear notification, my paralyzed senses returned to normal.

What made me realize my five senses had recovered was…

It was Nyx's cry, filled with desperation.

Did she keep calling me the entire time I was walking the last course?

When I explained the last course, Nyx let out a belated sigh of relief.

Nyx turned her head away with a huff.

I muttered quietly.

If you didn't hear it, that's your loss.

◈ 60kg of Orichalcum.

◈ Ring of Kukkasten.

A ring containing the principles of a kaleidoscope. It holds a portion of the power from the four constellations that intervened in the mission.

◈ Dragon Heart

…….

I was stunned into silence.

To think I'd get rewards like this from a Bronze-grade mission.

Sixty kilograms of orichalcum was enough to craft several pieces of equipment.

At minimum Legend-grade. Depending on additional materials and the craftsman's skill, it could even produce a Transcendent-grade artifact.

I'd never heard of the Ring of Kukkasten before, but the name gave me a good idea.

Kukkasten meaning kaleidoscope.

It must be a ring that reflects the powers of multiple constellations.

That one was probably Transcendent-grade too.

And the Dragon Heart was among the highest-tier elixirs.

None of these rewards could be taken lightly.

As I scanned the reward list, my eyes stopped.

"Huh?"

The moment I saw the last item, a dumbfounded sound escaped me.

Why the hell… is this here?!